This Week in Waste: Top Stories June 17 – June 20

#5 - A Call to Action: The Imperative of Reuse in Retail

Simply put, we need better solutions now! “Reuse” stands out as a formidable alternative for businesses, diverting excess items from landfills to those who need them most. Retail stores, as consumer goods epicenters are particularly poised for impactful change through reuse programs that can help the environment, local communities, and even the bottom line.

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#4 - Rebecca Hu’s Robots Empower Recyclers

Rebecca Hu, a 40 Under 40 award winner, spoke with Waste360 about why she founded Glacier, and why she thinks AI is the wave of the future for the industry.

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#3 - Brightmark to Build Chemical Recycling Plant in Thomaston, Georgia

Brightmark calls its technology “plastics renewal,” which it bought from RES Polyflow who developed it to convert plastics to fuel. Bob Powell, Brightmark founder, and CEO, says his team finetuned it to be able to make new plastic products from plastic waste (considered a higher-value use than fuel). He says it can process plastic nos. 1 through 7—even if they are mixed with food, paper, dirt, or other contaminants.

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#2 - Wisconsin-based Company Develops New Lid to Help Starbucks Reduce Plastic Waste

Starbucks has recently announced that it is further reducing plastic waste through a newly introduced cold drink cup lid that is made with less plastic.

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#1 - Recycling is BS: Combating Myths and Altering Perceptions

Eight out of 10 Americans report recycling is worth the effort, yet even in neighborhoods with curbside recycling collection, more than half of recyclables end up in the trash. A correlation exists between confidence and positive recycling behaviors.

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